You’ve been to the beach already, you have seen the movies, and you have watched endless hours of TV shows that seem to have been written by someone even younger than the kids eagerly watching it. Need to get out? Here are some activities for you to try in the Valley this weekend: 1) Summer tends to bring out two kinds of people: Campers and Non Campers. But, there’s an event that can reach across the aisle and join the two...convenient, low pressure camping with the GREAT AMERICAN BACKYARD CAMPOUT! On June 28th thousands of people across the country will camp in their backyards or parks while helping the National Wildlife Federation promote their mission: “Get Kids Outside”. Visit www.nwf.org for info on how to take part in this nationwide event and to sign the “Pledge to Campout for Wildlife”. Make sure you sign, because the NWF Board will donate $2 to support the organization’s wildlife work for each person who participates. Backyard camping is the best way to introduce kids and non campers to the joys of sleeping outside-clean bathrooms, easy packing, and you can’t beat the commute.2) There’s always a great family evening out when you include the Bard. That’s Shakespeare, my friends. The Independent Shakespeare Company starts its summer runs of 12th Night and Taming of the Shrew at the Griffith Park Old Zoo. The shows are offered Thursday through Sunday evenings and there are added specialty shows added in there to keep the kids happy too. It’s a great location and picnic ready, which helps to keep the kids interested when the language gets...Shakespeary... Visit www.iscla.org for the schedule and keep in mind, it’s FREE. Just the way William himself would have wanted it.3) Needing to feel a little peace, love, and rock and roll? Bet you will feel so groovy, man, at the PEACE, EARTH, AND ROCK N‘ ROLL FESTIVAL this Saturday the 28th at the Malibu Vital Zuman Organic Farm. Art, music, and veggies all for a very peaceful price of absolutely free admission and parking! Featuring music by: Freaks of a Feather, Jr. Lightspace, with special appearances by Bob Waters, Silke Berlinn, and the Addictions, Karma Dealers, and Lenny Goldsmith The New and Old. The festival runs from 11-6 and is full of fun for all ages. It’s at 29127 PCH in Malibu which I know isn’t the Valley...but a free event in a cool farm atmosphere? I feel the love for that...man...4) Friday nights don’t have to be just collapsing on the couch after a long week of juggling kids/work/spouse/fitness/healthyeating/tweeting/onlyhavingdowntimewhileyouarestuckintraffic. If you are in the Westlake Village Area you can take the whole family for some Art Projects that will give you a quiet activity together that might even start your weekend off right. It’s from 4-5 at the Westlake Village Library, and you can call (818) 865-9230 for details. Who knows, you might even check out a book and do quiet reading too! That will help with the decompression, I promise.5) Something that can fill a ton of summer hours with kids? Make your own movie! Sounds complicated, but it really isn’t. Most of you have iPhones, right? So record a movie with your kids, let them create the plot, costumes, and characters and even do the filming. Then teach your kids (and yourself) how to do basic editing on a simple program like iMovie. Add music, and voila-a summer project that you will all get excited about! My 5 year old and his friends made a superhero movie that I SWEAR will be hitting the festival circuit soon. You can always get more LA Kids Activities by following me on Twitter @nickerberger and checking out the hashtag #buzzLA. Also check out my show “The Buzz” at www.cityofcalabasas.com or on Channel 3 in the West Valley. I’ll be back next week with more fun family activities!

THE TOP 5 THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS IN THE VALLEY THIS WEEKEND by Laura Nickerson

It’s summer and it’s a great time to reach out of your kid comfort zone and do something new. Here are some activities for you to try in the Valley this weekend:

(Photo by Flavijus via Flickr.com) 1) One of my favorite events of the season is started last week, the Evening Campfires at King Gillette Ranch! Happening this Tuesday the 24th at 7pm and continuing through the summer, you head to the park to roast marshmallows and sing some campfire songs. Close by, free, family fun plus all the marshmallows. Did I mention marshmallows? ‘Cause those things are fluffy heaven. 2) Your kids love playing at the beach, right? But they wouldn’t be so into it if it was filled with garbage, so help keep it clean by heading to the Beach Clean Up at Will Rodgers Beach in Malibu on Saturday the 21st from 10 to noon. Kids are welcome but anyone under 13 must be accompanied by an adult (that’s a no-brainer) and you should bring gloves and a bucket or bag. Info is at www.healthebay.org. Special Bonus? Teaching your kids to take care of their environment. I mean, don’t tell THEM that because then they won’t like it. But YOU will know. 3) When you are having your first baby you are chomping at the bit to get cute new Maternity clothes, but when you go for that second or third baby, your old clothes start to lose their appeal. Ditto for your kids clothes (leg warmers aren’t so precious the third time-for anyone). Here’s a great idea for you to try-the Maternity and Kids Clothing Swap in Pasadena. It’s on Saturday, June 21st, at Chirp Kids Karaoke & Cafe, 2302 E. Colorado Blvd, and costs $4.50 pre-paid, $6 at the door. Bring in your old gently used maternity and kids clothes, and leave with a whole new “New to You” wardrobe! 4) Back in the old days, “Partying” consisted of dancing in high heels and staying out all night thanks to the toxic mixture of Red Bull and Stoli, but now post kids you might be more excited about this party: The 3 ring Toddler Circus and Luau in Agoura Hills. Sunday 6/22 from 10 am to noon get crazy with your little ones at the Play Destination as they do the limbo, dance, and play games. Nice benefit to this kind of party? The only “tossing” you will do is the ring toss. 5) If you want a free and simple excursion, you can take your kids Birdwatching at the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Sunday at 10 on the 22nd meet up at the shaded viewpoint. Binoculars will be provided, which on their own are hours of entertainment for anyone under the age of 7. Well, 47... You can always get more LA Kids Activities by following me on Twitter @nickerberger and checking out the hashtag #buzzLA. Also check out my show “The Buzz” at www.cityofcalabasas.com or on Channel 3 in the West Valley. I’ll be back next week with more fun family activities!

THE TOP 5 THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS IN THE VALLEY THIS WEEK by Laura Nickerson Happy Father’s Day! The best events to celebrate Dad generally fall into one of two categories; fun time together as a family or fun time away from the kids in which Dad gets to sleep or do whatever he wants for a change. Either way here are some activities for you to try in the Valley this weekend:(photo by Julian Povey via Flickr.com)

1) If Dad is up for some family bonding, there are a ton of cool Father’s Day Events going on. Let him be the King of the Rails at the Fillmore & Western Railway with a scenic ride and BBQ lunch, encourage him to find his inner Bruce Lee at a family Kung Fu Class in Burbank, or go back in time at the Cowboys and Cowgirls Movie night at the Paramount Ranch. Or you take the kids to these things and give him some quiet time at home. Either way you will be giving a great gift! 2) If your kids go nuts for trucks and other things that move people around, then you should take them to the free “Touch a Truck” event this weekend! Saturday June 14th from 10am to 2pm head over to the Thousand Oaks Community Center and let your kids climb, play, and explore all types of trucks, cars, and construction vehicles at this free event. Visit crpd.org for info. Won’t it be great to let your kids explore other people’s vehicles without having to say “Don’t touch that”? 3) Feeling old? The best way to feel younger is to surround yourself with things that are EVEN OLDER! Take the family to History Day at Strathearn Park in Simi Valley on Saturday, June 14th. So many fun things to see and play with including antique cars, farm engines, tractors, horseshoeing demonstrations, photo ops, and entertainment. It’s only $7 per person and you will feel positively youthful by the time you leave. 4) With that wacky drought and upcoming summer temperatures you might want to think about changing your garden to something that uses less water. So go to the Drought Tolerant Festival at the Sepulveda Garden Center in Encino with the kids and learn while you are having fun. There are singers, speakers, displays, and more on Saturday and Sunday the 14th & 15th from 9-4, with additional kids activities starting at 10:30 on Sunday. 5) Feeling lazy today? Sometimes the most fun activities are just hanging around the house with your kids doing something simple. An idea: take used pieces of paper, crumple them up, and use tape to fashion a ball. Try to keep it in the air from person to person by whacking it with your hand. Good news, if it gets loose in the house odds are low of breaking something. But don’t quote me on that... You can always get more LA Kids Activities by following me on Twitter @nickerberger and checking out the hashtag #buzzLA. Also check out my show “The Buzz” at www.cityofcalabasas.com or on Channel 3 in the West Valley. Here’s this week’s episode with all these events and more: http://youtu.be/rjApmycEMNU I’ll be back next Thursday with more fun family activities!

For most of you Valley families, school is out for the summer this week. After that first few days of sleeping in and doing nothing you are going to start hearing the most dreaded phrase in parenting besides “I’m quitting college to play in my friend’s band”, which is...”I’m BORED”.I can help prepare you for this. The “I’m bored” question, not the future rock star/living with you until they are 30 one. Here are my top 5 family activities for this weekend in the Valley:1) There’s a fun way to get exercise and culture this weekend, the Conejo Valley Art Museum’s ArtWalk 2014. Saturday and Sunday, June 7th & 8th, visit the festival at the Bank of America Building in Thousand Oaks for the live music, food, and artwork from artists all over the state. Visit www.cvam.us for the info on this free festival. Go, because the only other way to exercise and get culture at the same time is to put your treadmill in front of a TV playing Downton Abbey, and you could drop your ice cream doing that!!! 2) Do you ever go through your smartphone pictures to find your kids have secretly taken a zillion shots of the wall, the floor, or your butt? Here’s a fun way to teach them how to shoot something more viewable: join up at the King Gillette Ranch on Saturday the 7th at 3pm for Capture a Nature Moment, a walk that will give coaching on how to photograph nature. Bring your own cameras, and teach your kids how to use it for good, and not for evil. 3) Do you know any of the constellations besides the Big and Little Dippers? And be honest, can you tell the difference between the two? You might need a little help. Saturday, June 7th, head to the Griffith Observatory Public Star Party from 2-9:45 pm and the whole family can try out a variety of telescopes and talk to volunteer astronomers about what you see. It’s free, fun, and will clear up the whole Dipper Debate.4) Do you like to “Shoop a Doo” like the Temptations, “Hey” like James Brown, or “HOO HOO” like Stevie Wonder? You are in luck because the Summer Sun Sets Concert Series at the Calabasas Lake is kicking off it’s summer season with a performance by Stone Soul-the best of Classic Soul & Motown. This free concert is on Sunday the 8th at 6pm. Make sure to bring your own chairs, blankets, picnic, and groove. 5) I went hiking with my considerably cooler than me sister-in-law and her kids. She had the most amazing way of keeping the kids moving in the forward direction with minimal whining, so I have to share. She grabbed a brown lunch bag for each child and put a checklist on the front with a marker of things easy to find on the hike: a feather, yellow leaf, round stone, etc... and had them gather the items while we walked. So simple, yet genius. We actually went for more then 20 minutes without a whine!You can always get more LA Kids Activities by following me on Twitter @nickerberger and checking out the hashtag #buzzLA. Also check out my show “The Buzz” at www.cityofcalabasas.com or on Channel 3 in the West Valley. Here’s this week’s episode with all these events and more: http://youtu.be/KLCo2QUkh9k.